The Warren Bowden Memorial Scholarship for Heritage and Conservation will be awarded to a Primary School within the boundaries of the Hills Shire Council on an annual basis.  Each Primary School in the Hills Shire shall be eligible to nominate either a single student or an identified team of students once in each year.

 The Objects of the Scholarship are to encourage young students:

•  To appreciate and value the true meaning of our heritage;

•  To appreciate and demonstrate sound conservation values and practice in our community; and

• To allow them to develop ideas and identify those things or places within our shire that they consider as worthy of preserving as part of our history for future generations.

An application for an award is made by or on behalf of the Principal of the School concerned and addressed to the President of the Rotary Club of Castle Hill Inc., who will refer the application to an independent Assessment Panel for consideration of the award. The application is to be in the form of a formal letter supported by a submission setting out the reasons for the nomination.

The Assessment Panel consists of the current President and President-elect of the Club, Director of Service Projects of the Club, an Officer of the Hills Shire Council, and the Editor or Nominee of a Hills Shire Community Newspaper as selected by the Club Board from time to time.They may recommend from one to three nominees for the scholarship. The value of the Scholarship awarded each year will be determined by the Board of each Rotary Year (which is aligned with the Australian financial year).

Please click this link for: The Application / Nomination Criteria document (downloads a Microsoft Word document)

Applications may be returned by post to:

About Warren Bowden

(adapted from the eulogy presented by PP Terry O'Mara at Warren's Funeral)

Warren was inducted into the Rotary Club of Castle Hill, in March 1973 and his service was, at all times, as fine an example of  “Service above Self” that anyone could have hoped for. He was, at the time of his passing, the second longest serving member of the Rotary Club of Castle Hill.

Warren was awarded a Paul Harris Fellowship twice – in January 1984 and again in September 2004, In Australia, these awards are a way of recognising high quality community service, above self. Awards well deserved in Warren’s case.

His Service Classification was Home Building, a profession he served with honour throughout a diligent and long career. The stories of his adventures and business dealings are legion. We were advised by one of his professional peers that Warren was the most dapper builder in the Hills, that he was an excellent organiser/delegator and that he Never got dirty, really. He was, of course, a great collector of things, which he had difficulty in discarding.

Warren was President of the Rotary Club of Castle Hill in 1978-1979. His President’s Report speaks of the achievements of that year in ways which evidence an active, vital club blessed with a vision for quality Community Service and a zeal for an extensive range of activities which were worthwhile. Yet for all his gentleness, he had a strength and a drive to see things through – a quality which never comes without personal cost, which he paid many times over.

During the time of his illness, he faced many health issue challenges, however when anyone visited him, Warren remained always the gentleman he has always been: never a harsh word about anyone and patient with progress on some things which seemed so slow. He remained devoted to his family as well: always appreciating the care he received from the tireless and loving Olive and reporting the adventures of his family, especially his grandchildren and great-grandchildren and their endless visits to see him.

Warren is a model of what Rotary is about. Our Rotary creed is expressed as follows:

Is it the TRUTH?

Is it FAIR to ALL concerned?

Will it build better GOODWILL and BETTER FRIENDSHIPS?

Will it be BENEFICIAL to all concerned?

This fine man lived all of his life in ways that reflected these values every day. We are proud to have him as part of Rotary.

We remember him well!